Buzz's Marine Life of Puget Sound

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Tongue Point

Twelve miles west of Port Angeles, WA is a quarter mile long thumb of rocky intertidal that stretches out into the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Tongue Point Marine Life Sanctuary. Because of its location the species list is somewhat different from that of much of Puget Sound proper. For tide pooling it's one of the "knock your socks off" locations in WA. Camping is also available. http://www.portangeles.org/salt-creek.html
Some images from Tongue Point to wet your appetite, with one image of Hurricane Ridge in Olympic NP which you can easily take in on the same day you do Tongue Point. More to follow later....off to the beach.

Tongue Point

Octopus

Tongue Point

Hurricane Ridge Olympic NP

Black-clawed Crab

Anemone

Tide Pool Tongue Point

Fragile Star

The Frankensteins in deep

Sharp-nosed Crab

Keyhole Limpet

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Hi Guys......er, HIGH GUYS

June 4/5 weekend with sunny and 70's forecast with a good low tide. Does it get any better?...no but you don't have to wait for the good low tide to do some fun exploring at the beach. At a very modest low tide there are always the HIGH GUYS to keep the beach goer involved. It's not often that you see people poking around in the high intertidal looking for marine life, but of course it's there. Most of the critters will be small...so bring your reading glasses, or a magnifying lens or you will miss some great stuff.

The images below all came from the high intertidal rocks on the north side of Alki....close to lots of good eating places and coffee houses....perfect!

Aggregate Anemone

Finger Limpets

Mossy Chiton

Checkered Periwinkle

Emarginate Whelk

Mossy Chiton

Chiton

Checkered Periwinkles

Leather Limpet

Leather Limpets

Emarginate Whelk

Turkish Washcloth red seaweed

Young Rockweed

Rockweed Isopods

Thatched Barnacle

Ribbon Worm

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Finally JUNE!!!

After the coldest Spring on record for Seattle we finally have arrived at JUNE! FIFTY DEGREES, CLOUDS AND RAIN. &%($#)$!!! And that goes for the weather too.

However all is not lost......you can still go to the beach...some nice low tides this weekend with SUNSHINE and 70's forecast. Today was also not a total loss.....as the images below attest:

Face Off

Big Pest vs Little Pest

I think I can, I think I can

How did you miss this?

Caspian Tern

Another good Tern

Bald Eagle Juv.

Not you again!

Get off me!

Bald Eagle

Tern turns up

Osprey

You got my leash?

Bald Eagle Juv.

Ribbon Worm......still at the bottom.

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

WHAT DOES IT EAT?

A common question from beach goers is, "What does it eat?" To answer that question often takes a lot of background knowledge on the individual species, but a general answer covering the type of animal and its group often will be sufficient. Most people, unless they are brain addled, usually don't want long pontificating lectures when they are trying to have fun at the beach.
So you won't get one here, unless you really want to dig in and pick up some basic information on Feeding Adaptations of Marine Animals. Also thrown in (or out if you like) is a short (not short enough) presentation on Seasons....no pictures just text...so be forewarned.

FEEDING ADAPTATIONS OF MARINE ANIMALS AND SEASONS can be found under BUZZ LINKS as usual. Oh yeah, the image has nothing to do with the blog...I just like it. :)

Monday, May 30, 2011

A Few Puget Sound Birds

Bald Eagles and Ospreys have made a dramatic comeback in the past few decades and are now common sights around Puget Sound. A number of waterfowl species use Puget Sound as a wintering ground and as part of migration routes. Gulls, Terns, Grebes may be local residents of migrants depending on species.
Great Blue Herons work the shores in every part of the Sound.
If you want more detailed information on individual North American species; I suggest; The Birder's Handbook, Ehrlich, Dobkin and Wheye. It's doubtful that any hardcore birder lacks this publication in their library....and it's cheap and amazingly my 20 year old paperback copy still has a functional binding.